Play With The Cards You Are Dealt In Life

What's wrong with you? No, seriously, what's wrong with you, or better still, what do you think is wrong with you? Are you....a man of short stature, an unusually tall woman? What about your ears, have they been compared to Dumbo's, your nose, has it been call bulbous, flat, or too pointy? Are your feet considered too big for your size, or flat, maybe you think your legs are too little, or too big. How about your figure? Maybe no matter how much weight you lose, or gain,(yes I said gain), you'll never look like Beyonce, Jennifer Anniston, or never even achieve the look that you are striving for. Then there's your head, have you been called pea head, basketball head? Your hands, men, do they say that you have "girly" hands, and women, what about you, man hands, is that what they say? By the way who are THEY? (Just asking)? Oh yes, your skin, too light, too dark, pot marked, rough, dry, oily, is that what they are saying? Let's not forget those lips, oh so, thin, no, too big? Left anything out? You take it from here. Today an inordinate amount of emphasis is placed on physical appearance. The validity of that statement is born out by the proliferation of cosmetic surgeries publicized in the media.

Are you, or were you teased in school or work, about what was considered to be less than perfect features. Young people, and adults alike, do you have a particular shortcoming that is the bane of your existence? Perhaps you feel, at times, your life is not worth living, due to this "shortcoming." Well shame on you! "Why," you ask? I'll explain later.

What do I mean, by the statement, play with the cards you're dealt? Card players can understand what I mean. One of my favorite games is a card game called Bid Whist. It's a poor man's version of Bridge. In the game, there are four players, only one wins the chance to change their hand. The other three players must play with the cards they are dealt. To some, the game is very serious. According to the expert players there are no bad hands, just bad players. You see, with that "bad hand," according to the player who has it, must, if nothing else know when to play each card, to help their partner. Complaining about your "bad hand," is unacceptable, you simply must make the best of it. These rules are strictly adhered to by the serious players. I do like to play the game, however, I am by no means a serious player, so yes I do have a bad hand at times.

Well, for some, life is like that hand of cards, no matter what you get, you must learn to live with it, and make the best of it. And why not, most of the things that are heretofore mentioned can't be altered, and even those that can be, most wouldn't change. Not being able or willing to alter their physical features, most people spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on them, wasting time that could be spent in positive pursuits which could bring happiness to themselves or others.

Now, I could interject here, physical appearances should not be that important, but let's face it, to some they are, and for those ones who feel they are, read on. If you feel someone you know could benefit from this article, by all means stay with me here.

While we are bemoaning our shortcomings, we should take a look around. First of all, consider this, if THEY are teasing you, maybe THEY are trying divert attention away from a shortcoming of their own, take a closer look at them, and don't judge, just as you would not want them to judge you. Let's get this out of the way now, as THEY say, "beauty is only skin deep." I know that doesn't make it any easier, so we won't spend a lot of time focusing on that aspect of physical appearances. I digress.

Suppose you are complaining about your height, legs or feet. Consider this, what about the man who has no legs. Think he'd give just about anything to have legs, and feet, regardless of what they looked like. What about your head, think about the person who has had an accident, and is unable to think clearly, he probably doesn't care what size his head is now, if only he could use his the way he used it before. Maybe you're complaining about those hands, what are they used for, can you give a gentle back rub, feel the soft skin of a newborn baby? Wow! What about those girly/man hands now? You say, your ears are your worst problem, can you hear beautiful music, or the soft whisper of your beloved ones? Then to those with these supposed "maladies," you too have reasons to be thankful. Search yourself. What are they?The features mentioned herein are, up till now, impossible, or nearly impossible to change. That being the case, why would you allow those things to dictate the extent of your happiness?

Instead of constantly lamenting the fault you find with your appearance, why not Change. Not necessarily physically, (through cosmetic surgery), change your outlook. For instance, even if you do have one or more of those shortcomings, you quite possibly have a feature that you can be proud to show. Do you have a head of hair that would make shampoo manufacturers want you to advertise for them. What about your hands, and feet, maybe you have the most beautiful extremities anyone's ever seen. Those muscular arms, those gams, (legs), need I say fashion model worthy? Oh that skin, smooth, milky white, olive, warm brown, beautifully dark as night? What about that small waistline, those beautiful, green, blue, brown eyes? Can you see where I'm going with this? In other words, look at yourself in the mirror and find something that is your pride and joy and play that up for all it's worth!

Now, after close scrutiny, you've not found that elusive beauty feature, ask someone. Yes that's what I said, ask someone, preferable a trusted friend, or a loved one, someone who has your best interest at heart. Be open, upfront, let them know that you are struggling with your "shortcoming," and need some encouragement. Hopefully, you choose the right one. If you don't, I don't know what to tell you. Just kidding. With or without their help, just simply learn to "play with the cards that you are dealt."